102 The Eve of Ruin (1/2)
An ill-timed reunion. This was not how he would have preferred to have met them. Not at the eve of what'd likely be a terrible battle to the death. The future weighed heavily on everyone in the room, for different reasons.
It was all but guaranteed that the outcome of the coming battle would change the fate of the world in some form or another, regardless of victory or defeat.
Things would change. The world would not be the same as it once was.
A great unease filled the silent room.
Reed absentmindedly raised the cup of coffee in his hands and took a sip. It tasted bitter. He grimaced and threw in a couple more sugar cubes into his cup. If there was one thing he genuinely detested, it was bitter coffee.
Not because of the taste; he'd long since been accustomed to the taste of black coffee. He hated black coffee because it reminded of the past. It had inadvertently become associated with the life he'd lived before he had arrived in Mulia.
It reminded him of the bleak outlook he once had about his life. The creeping weariness that arose when one's dreams started to fade away into mist.
”…I owe you guys an apology, you know. You were right. I should have listened. Instead, I insulted the three of you and brushed off your advice,” said Reed as he stared at the pitch-black reflection of his cup. He couldn't look at them in the eye.
Astor sighed and said, ”As if we were any better than you, Reed. We ran away. Scared of the consequences, we came up with convenient excuses and told ourselves that there was nothing we could do.”
”If recklessness is your sin, then cowardice is ours. Therefore, you need not apologize. We are all to blame. If anything, your efforts bore fruit — unlike the three of us who idly stood by and did nothing. You saved Sebastian. That counts for something,” said Astor.
Was he not a noble prince of the North? Was he not a contender, one of the Chosen?
Astor laughed at himself in self-derision and said, ”We are no gods, only miserable pretenders. For all that we have been afforded, we couldn't even muster the strength of will to save two people. And now, we've been tasked to protect the realm from this sudden invasion? Unbelievable…”
Horatio clenched his fists in frustration and said, ”What can we even do in this situation? We are still grossly outnumbered, even if we have the Four Empires banding together for this operation. More than half of our forces are still out in the Shadowlands, completely unaware of what is happening right now.”
”But we have no other choice! Either we fight with what we have or risk letting the Infestation grow further than it already has. Had we waited, they probably would have set their sights on the entire North and then, the whole continent,” said Ophelia.
It would've amassed an army nearly a hundred million strong, capable of taking the continent in one fell swoop. At that point in time, nothing would have been able to stop it, regardless of whether or not the Four Empires were at their full strength…
Lu'um grabbed another sugar cube, put it in Reed's coffee and said, ”The Will of the World chose all of you for a reason. I do not know for what reason, but it had good reason to do so. It would not have given you an Alma had it judged you unfit to bear it, even if you had been given the Mark of the Chosen. It has the final say in the matter — not the mark.”
Reed took a sip of his coffee and said, ”I have no doubt that we'll win. There will be losses, but this continent will live to see another day. We are duty-bound to do what we can for the people who have no power — that is the responsibility we've been entrusted with in return for our strength.”
”If you want to live up to the power you've been granted, resolve yourselves here and now to do what you must. Be better — make proper use of what you have been granted. If not, stay here and do not participate in the coming fight. You will not live to see tomorrow if you are not prepared for what is to come. The millions of Infested out there will not wait for you to gather the courage to fight. Falter in the upcoming battle and you will surely be killed.”
”Do not make attend your funerals. I have lost enough,” said Reed.
An alarm suddenly blared in the room like a banshee and a cold voice said, ”Attention! The Eastern and Southern fleets have arrived! All conquerors and contenders are to report to the main bridge-hall ASAP and await further orders!”